The following relates generally to wireless communication, and more specifically to detecting the availability of a communications network following a loss of coverage event. Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include code-division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time-division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) systems, and orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) systems.
Generally, a wireless multiple-access communications system may include a number of base stations, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple user equipments (UEs, such as mobile devices). Base stations may communicate with mobile devices on downstream and upstream links. Each base station has a coverage range, which may be referred to as the coverage area of the cell. When a UE moves outside the coverage area of all base stations associated with a communications network, the UE may “lose coverage,” with a resultant loss of services provided by the communications network. Upon losing coverage, the UE may initiate a number of searches or scans for the communications network, so that the UE may reconnect with the communications network when it once again becomes available (e.g., by virtue of the UE moving back within the coverage area of one of the communication network's base stations).